Skill Ups

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Now, I see to recall SE announcing some massive overhaul to skills ups in the game. That we would be gaining higher skills at an increaced rate.

So I have been testing the skill rates/numbers for some time now with protect, 2 hours at a time, 10 hours total now.

Skill ups average .135 and only once every 26 minutes.

I also noticed with BRD, which I had just gotten to 90 shortly before that update. That the skills I had been gaining, though smaller in value, came roughly 50% faster before the update. After which they have been very scarce, with little difference in total skill and on the same mobs.

So I have to ask. Where is this supposed "fix?"

[RAIST]

the tweak was to add DC mobs to your skill to the equation--you get larger numbers per skillup on mobs closer to you current skill cap now. Everytime I point this out to LS mates, their skillups take off. Have to rethink the targets to take advantage of the tweak.

Focus on what is known to spawn at LEAST DC to your skill--ie, if you are aproaching 76 skill cap, look for mobs that will pop at least 70 and up. It has often been rumored that moon phase comes into play too--I have noticed my skillup sessions come in cycles, so there may be some truth to that.

Magic has always been a funny animal too, because you are likeily dealing with their magic resistance level as well, which is not as easily determined by the /check system.

[Byrth]

I'm pretty sure part of the fix was also allowing you to gain .4s and .5s for much longer. Scythe and defensive skills are my only non-blues on WAR. I took a lot of my skills right up to cap with .4s and .5s still once in a while, which was unheard of before the update.

My skillup theory is basically:
[Skillup_Rate, Skillup_range] = fSkillUp(Monster_Level, Your_Level, Current_Skill, Maaaaaybe_Weapon_Rank)

Examples:
Skillup_rate = 5%
Skillup_range = [.1,.2,.4,.5]


In the past, you skilled up to the cap for the monster you were fighting. Now, I think you can skill up to about 5 levels over the monster you're fighting, though I can't say for sure. My THF still gets dagger skillups off T1 VNMs outside Abyssea in Ronfarue, so that would be a good way for me to check this for sure. I Colorful'd though, so we'll have to wait to see what it caps at. =p

Furthermore, I think they adjusted the skillup range so it includes .4 and .5 over a much larger range. I took skills almost all the way to cap on WAR while still seeing .4s and .5s, while pre-patch it they simply didn't happen and .3 was my max.

[RAIST]

DC goes down to -7 levels post 76 now. I was still getting .3's past 81 caps on dolls in Sky on WAR doing trials/WSNM latent on GA--4-6 levels past their highest/lowest level. 5 is a good index to go by, which is usually what I go with for a quick reference. It's a bit better when your DC's are a little closer though, but -5 for the minimum pop level is a good start. If you aren't getting anything, then go to the next higher target so it's a bit closer.

That is one thing that baffles me...people will spend HOURS on one mob and then whine about not getting any skillups--you would think they would try a differnt mob, or at least strip off the ACC/ATT gears or something. If you strip naked and still get nothing--maybe it's time to change target.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

What about the utter lack a skill ups in abyssea post update, when before hand they were plentiful.

[Byrth]

Considering I skilled up over 200 levels in Abyssea post patch, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

Get a higher sample size and more experience skilling up.

[Raksha]

Enhancing magic is pretty tough to skill up in general, as a SCH i'm always casting spells on other players (in addition to the massive amount of self enhancing I do) but so far enhancing is the only skill that isnt capped (well except lvl ~50 divine magic).

[thefinalrune]

It always seemed to me any time of non-aggressive skilling up (enhancing, healing, parry, guard) is substantially harder than aggressive skills (everything else).

[RAIST]

I've skilled jobs post 85 caps just fine in abyssea grauberg. Granted, it's only been 3 so far (been refocused on completing SMN staff set for more situational uses)--but the ones I've taken in there so far skilled up steadily. Perhaps it is the choice of target?

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Well, when I was talking about pre/post the second time, it was threnody on dolls in altep. The reduction in skill ups post update was palpable.

In the OP, it was my testing of casting protect on myself for 2 hour blocks at a time resulting in an average of .135 per skill and only one skill(Not level.) every 26 minutes.

[Monkeynutz]

The skillup adjustment firstly targets low skill levels. The rate at which you can skill up a particular skill is unbelievably high at low levels and tapers off to be more or less near what it was before. The fact that you can cap skills on DC mobs (which I believe is as low as 82 or 83 to a 90 player) is the biggest advantage to high level players. I've done a decent amount of leveling since the update on very low level jobs and found that I could recap my primary offensive skills after leveling on just 1 to 3 mobs because I'd get a skill up on nearly every single hit. My only level 90 job (BLM) already had all magic capped, but I have been able to skill up staff and club a bit. It's hard to say if the rate is particularly increased given the frequency of their use.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

But in the same range on the same mobs with different skills have been night and day. I.e. Fast vs. nonexistant.

[Byrth]

They boosted enhancing skillups on other people. Perhaps your problem was casting on yourself over and over. Also, enhancing has always been lame.

I skilled up my Bard's singing and wind to cap from about 270 in Altepa in half an hour sleeping a doll and spamming Threnody.